Misunderstood
by not-nymphadora
Summary: Luna meets a girl in the Forbidden Forest that she's never seen before. Will they make it work? LL and somebody I made up.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: Um... hello. I know this chapter is kind of short, but they do get longer. A little. It's not going to be a very long story, so I apologize if that's what you were hoping for. I just wanted to write something cute with Luna, because I adore her. **

**Chapter One**

an abundance of essays

Luna Lovegood sat in the Ravenclaw common room. The amount of homework the fifth years had been assigned was unbearable; she had been working on her Potions essay for a total of three hours. Finally, she put the finishing touches on her embellishment of the letter "R" and sat back in her chair.

She didn't _have _to draw little pictures around all of the capital letters, but it made everything so much more interesting. She was sure Professor Snape would appreciate the effort. Even if he did act like a greasy git most (no, she corrected herself. ALL) of the time... he must have been attacked by nargles as a child. No matter.

She sighed deeply and pulled her Transfiguration textbook along with another roll of parchment toward her. But looking at the assignment made her head spin with exhaustion. Maybe she would just take a _teeny _little break. She could always finish it later.

She _would _finish it later. No one, and I repeat, _no one_ entered Professor McGonnagall's classroom without their homework completed. And it had better have been completed well. Or else...

Standing up quickly, she spun around seven times with her arms held above her head, grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and skipped out of the portrait hole, humming a little song of her own invention.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

all in good fun

Despite what the rest of the school may have thought her, Luna was not "loony". She knew perfectly well what the other students called her, but the fact of the matter was that she just didn't care.

She was happier when she dwelt in her own world, accompanied by mythical creatures who she believed in easily, without the need for proof of any kind. Who needed reality when it was just so painful? Living in a fantasy world was often more pleasant than dealing with a castle full of angst-ridden teenagers in need of someone to take out their insecurities on, along with dozens of exam-obsessed professors.

She stopped outside of the portrait hole, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. The cold corridor outside of the common room was strangely empty. There were usually at least a few students walking to and from the library or snogging in the corners.

Luna started skipping down the hall, waving to the old portraits on the walls, who recognized her and smiled back.

"Hello, m'lady. You seem to be in fine spirits this morning!" called out the portrait of a woman in her underclothes sitting and painting her fingernails orange.

"Oh, hello Lillianne! I'm just off for a bit of a walk. Homework's dreadful this year."

"Well, honey, have a spiffing time," responded Lillianne, and off Luna went, smiling over her shoulder. Her little stroll was interrupted however, when she reached the corridors closer to the center of the castle. The other students stared at her and some even shouted things about her ... unusual ... choice in jewelery, or reached out to give her an unnecessary shove.

"That's quite an awful thing to do!" Luna said to one pale, blond fifth year Slytherin after he had spit in her face. "If I didn't know that it was all good fun, I would think you had been trying to hurt my feelings." He laughed at her and called her all sorts of filthy names, but she continued on her way.

Thinking about it, she decided that the grounds by Hagrid's hut would be more deserted in this weather, and so she changed her course and headed to the entrance hall. Opening the huge front doors, she walked down the hill, heading towards the Forbidden Forest.

What she really wanted to do right now was to visit the thestrals. She had a couple apples and some toast in her bag; maybe even a few turnips. Thestrals were lovely creatures, really, once you got to know them. People just avoided them because, like her, they were a bit... different. Smiling at Hagrid who was poking several gigantic pumpkins repeatedly with a small pink umbrella, she disappeared into the trees.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

it's just so perfect

The forest was cold, and Luna gave an involuntary shiver as she quickly strode off the path and through the trees. The thestrals lived deep in the forest, where it was quite dark, but that didn't bother her. She didn't mind darkness. People were so scared of the unknown sometimes. They were closed-minded and needed to see things to believe them. The world was infinitely more beautiful when you just accepted it for how it was.

As the dancing girl approached the clearing, she heard a voice speaking very softly. Curious, she sped up and silently peered through the trees. There, sitting in the grass with the head of a baby thestral on her lap, was the most beautiful girl Luna had ever seen.

The other girl's hair was tangled from being in the forest, but you could see that it was a gorgeous shade of brown. To Luna, the few leaves and blades of grass in it seemed like a crown. There was a certain earthy, peaceful quality to her that made you forget the world around you and immediately feel at ease.

By her robes, Luna knew that she was another Hogwarts student, and by her height and body, she figured that she must have been in fifth or sixth year. Suddenly, the other girl stopped speaking as she noticed that she was being watched.

"Oh. Hello," she said.

"You have a beautiful voice," Luna replied.

"Thank you. That's very kind," the girl stammered, blushing.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about! It's wonderful! I can't hold a tune. But my mother could... before she died. I was nine." Luna had a tendency to be almost painfully honest and open with people.

"I'm sorry." She paused. "But that's why you can see the thestrals, isn't it? Because you know somebody who's died. My brother was killed by a Death Eater when I was three. It was horrible." She sat and thought about it for a few seconds, looking depressed, but she quickly shook it off and asked Luna brightly, "What's your name?"

"Oh. I'm... I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood."

"I'm Emily. So, what brings you to the Forbidden Forest, Luna?"

"Well, I finished my Potions essay, and I was just going to start on McGonnagall's Transfiguration homework when I decided I fancied a walk. And you?" She tilted her head questioningly...

"Oh, I come out here loads. It's so quiet and dark. People don't seem to like it very much when I'm around, and I don't care to bother them." Emily gestured for Luna to come and sit next to her. She took Luna's hand and placed it on the bony neck of the thestral on her lap. A jolt of electricity shot through the air between them.

Suddenly, Luna held Emily's gaze and stared into her hazel eyes. There was a shocking depth to them, as if the whole world was contained inside an orb of brown and green. She caught the reflection of the trees and of her own face in those eyes. She knew Emily could feel it to. They were just... so... perfect... And her lips...

Emily quickly backed away. "I like you Luna. I really do. But it's getting dark and we'll get detention if we stay here after dinner. I mean, I know Hagrid's nice and all, but..." she trailed off, having realized that she was babbling.

"It's fine. It's wonderful, in fact," all of a sudden, she stood up very straight. "Emily of the Forbidden Forest, will you meet me by the lake tomorrow at noon?" Luna stated, strangely formal.

"Yes, Luna Lovegood, I will with pleasure," replied Emily immediately and gave a stiff little bow. They were silent for a minute, then both girls burst out laughing. Grabbing each other's hands, they sprinted towards the castle leaving they're laughter echoing through the trees and grounds behind them.


End file.
